


together (the way it’s meant to be)

by falloutmars



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Confessions, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Pining, lowkey jealous jughead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 10:30:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21297998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falloutmars/pseuds/falloutmars
Summary: Betty finds an interesting Reddit post on Questions To Fall In Love and decides trying it with her best friend is a brilliant idea.Although Jughead knows there’s a lot at stake, he can’t help but agree.–Based onthis article.
Relationships: Betty Cooper & Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 20
Kudos: 140





	together (the way it’s meant to be)

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this took me a while to write so i hope you enjoy reading it!
> 
> warning for alcohol mentions

The front door slams, shattering the silence Jughead had been sitting in for the past couple of hours. He’d finally gotten into a flow with his novel once he unsuccessfully tried to convince himself that he was  _ happy _ that Betty, his roommate and best friend since they were 5, was out on a date with a guy that wasn’t him. 

Before he has a chance to be scared that someone has broken into his apartment, he hears her. 

“I am never going on another date ever again,” she groans from the hallway. 

“What was it this time?” he asks, attempting to hide the fact that he’s  _ pleased _ it didn’t go well. He’s well aware of how selfish that sounds, and he really does want her to be happy, but he also doesn’t want anyone to snatch her away from him. 

She walks into their living area where Jughead is sat on the sofa. He risks a glance up at her, well aware of how beautiful she looked before she left. The evening’s events did not change this. 

She interrupts his less than appropriate thoughts with a sigh. 

“Well, for starters, he turned up 30 minutes late. Then he spent most of the date talking about his ex and not taking any notice of me. The only thing that got me through it was the amazing wine he bought,” she tells him bitterly. “I will never find true love, Jug.” 

“You will, Betty.”  _With me_,  he adds in his head. 

He watches her wander around in a slump, not knowing what to do with herself. He wishes he could help her. All he can do is be there for her in situations like this, he supposes. 

“I’m going to change out of this ridiculous outfit,” she half-laughs. “But then do you fancy watching a movie with me? Nothing romantic though.”

He chuckles. “Sure, I’ll pick something.” 

And with that, she walks out of the room. 

Jughead sighs. He tries not to think about what’s under that  _ ridiculous  _ _outfit_. There’s definitely nothing ridiculous about it, apart from making her look ridiculously hot. Immediately, he scolds himself for thinking such things about his best friend. Instead, he gets to work on choosing a movie for them.

Almost ten minutes later, Betty emerges with her hair in a messy bun, wearing pyjama pants and his old Riverdale high hoodie. 

His hoodie . He thought he lost that. Turns out she had it this whole time It swamps her, but even compared to her previous date outfit, Jughead thinks she looks beautiful. (He’s rather fond of her wearing his clothes too.) 

“Hey, Jug?” she calls out as she walks over to the kitchen. “Do you want to share a bottle of red with me?” 

“Go on then,” he says with an eye roll that she can’t see. 

Noises of cupboards opening and closing come from the kitchen, which Jughead ignores and tries to turn his attention back to his novel before they start their impromptu movie night. 

Struggling to concentrate on writing, he finds himself deep in thought when Betty enters, somehow holding a bottle of wine, 2 glasses and a bowl of popcorn. She dumps everything down on the coffee table before plonking herself closer to Jughead than strictly necessary.

He watches her closely as she opens the bottle, pours them both glasses and takes a long sip. She catches him, so he quickly closes his laptop lid and puts it aside, before also taking a long sip of wine. He hopes it’ll take the edge off of whatever he’s feeling tonight. (He isn’t sure exactly  _ what _ he’s feeling.)

“So, Jug,” she begins, sounding mildly suspicious. “I know I said I wanted to watch a film tonight...”

He interrupts her. “If you’ve had a better offer, Betty, I don’t mind.”

“What? No! Of course not!” 

The disappointment that threatened to flood him quickly starts to disappear. God, when did she have the power over his feelings? 

“I, uh,” she continues, nervous edge to her voice. “I found this thing earlier, on Reddit. It’s an experiment to get two people to fall in love.” 

She pulls up the page on her phone and hands it to Jughead. He studies it while she continues talking.

“It’s obviously bullshit, right? True love is bullshit. I mean, who can fall in love with just a few questions?”

He looks up, unsure of who she’s trying to convince. “Right,” he gulps. 

“But, I was thinking we should try it. Like, not to fall in love, obviously. Maybe it’ll have some good questions. And maybe it’ll take my mind off my non-existence love life too.”

He’s lost for words. He just stares at her, dumbfounded. 

“It’s just some stupid questions, right?” she continues. She’s nervous, he can tell. 

Before he can think any better of it, he agrees. “Right. Okay, let’s do it.” 

“Wait, really?” she questions, a look of surprise washing over her face.

“Sure. Drink and questions, just like all the college parties I didn’t attend.”

Jughead tries desperately to sound like he’s not internally freaking out. He knows that the stakes are, for him at least, very high. And his cynical side is telling him that  _ of course  _ it’s bullshit, but the romantic deep down inside of him is getting his hopes up. With a sigh, he takes a long drink, once again hoping for the alcohol to kick in. It isn’t lost on him that he’s doing what his father used to do when he was younger - exactly everything he promised himself he wouldn’t become. 

The sound of Betty’s voice forces him out of his thoughts. 

“If you’re sure?” she asks, so he nods his acceptance. “Okay, it looks like there are three sets of questions and you have to answer as honestly as possible. I’ll read the first set but we can stop at any time. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, Jug.”

Betty puts a comforting hand on his shoulder and gives him a small smile. His heart feels like it might burst at such a simple gesture. He smiles back as confirmation of his willingness to join. For a few seconds, neither move. They just sit smiling at each other. Jughead honestly feels like he could just die right now in this moment, just looking at her beautiful smile. 

He snaps back to reality when she moves her hand away and starts talking again. 

“So, the first question.” He notices that she’s avoiding eye contact with him and he wonders if it had anything to do with their unusual moment just now. 

She clears her throat before continuing. “Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?”

“I think I know who yours would be,” he attempts to joke. She raises her eyebrows in question. “Toni Morrison, right?”

She giggles. “Probably. What about you? What crime fiction author would it be?” 

“No, none. Maybe JB. But I haven’t seen her in so long, I doubt she still remembers me.” He flashes Betty a sad smile. 

“I’m sure she does, Jug,” she whispers in a sad voice.

“I hope so,” he whispers back. Louder he says, “Anyway, what’s the next one?” 

She moves her eyes quickly away from him, back to her phone. “Would you like to be famous?“

“Nope, no way.”

“Famous, no. Known, maybe. For journalism.” 

“I can see it now: Betty Cooper, crime-solving journalist like you’ve never seen before,” he announces. 

She laughs at that. A full-on, no sarcasm, happy laugh. One that makes Jughead want to keep on telling shitty jokes just to get her to do that again. 

“I’ll come to you for my tagline,” she says, still laughing. “Anyway, what would constitute a ‘perfect’ day for you? Ugh, I hate that word, but you get the meaning.” 

“That I do, Betty.” He pauses to think for a second, but every option his mind comes up with includes spending the day with her. For a moment, he thinks about lying, but she did say they had to answer honestly. And what did he have to lose? Quite a lot, truthfully, but apparently his slightly intoxicated state says otherwise. 

“I think any day where we spend it here, together, is perfect enough for me.” He looks up at her and smiles sweetly. “And obviously lots of food is a must.”

Betty looks like she’s going to cry. 

As soon as he notices, Jughead feels guilty. “Woah, Betty, I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?”

He brings his hands up to her face, something he knows is probably a bit forward, but he just wants to comfort her. There’s nothing worse than making Betty cry.

“Jug,” she sniffs. Her hand finds its way up to hold his forearm. “You’re so sweet.”

He shrugs. “It’s true, Betts. My perfect day will always include you.”

“Me too, Jug, me too.” 

Once again, neither make an effort to move. Jughead can feel something actively shift between them. They sit holding each other, staring intensely into each other’s eyes. His mind is racing and he thinks this might be the moment. 

In the end, his nerves get the better of him and he decides to sabotage the moment himself. 

Rapidly blinking, he moves his hands from her face and looks away, before saying, “Uh, what’s the next question?” 

“Um, yeah, sorry,” she says with a blush. “Do you have a secret hunch about how you will die? I don’t, I try not to think about it, to be honest.”

“Alcohol related.” He picks up his wine glass and pushes it towards her. She does the same. 

“Cheers to that!” he says, as they clink their glasses together.

The atmosphere between them has definitely changed since what Jughead has dubbed as  their moment . It’s more tense now. Still, he carries on trying to be as normal as possible. 

After a few moments too long, she says, “Um, the next one. Name three things you and your partner appear to have in common. We’ll take it in turns; you start.”

“Hometown,” he says, simply.

“Apartment.”

“Ability to sleuth.” 

Betty grins. “Ah, growing up solving crimes together.”

“I miss those days sometimes. Like, they were awful, but sleuthing with you felt  _right_. ” 

“I know what you mean,” she mutters. She looks off into the distance, her face blank like she’s reminiscing. 

“You okay, Betts?” he asks, placing a gentle hand on her arm.

“Yes. Yeah, sorry. Uh, we both love true crime.”

“We both love books, too.”

“And finally, we both have awful parents,” she jokes. He laughs at that, mainly because it’s true.

“Unfortunately, Betty, you are not wrong.” 

He remembers the time him and Betty unmasked the black hood and it turned out to be Hal Cooper - Betty’s father. He remembers how much it broke her, how he was the only person she would see or talk to, and how he didn’t know what to do. Then he remembers when she was there from him when his mother left, when his father gave up on him. Throughout all those shitty times with their parents, they stuck together. Just the two of them.

She interrupts his reminiscing with the next question - a relevant one to his thoughts, actually. 

“For what in your life do you feel most grateful?”

“You,” he says without hesitation. That earns him a massive, bashful smile. One that he  _ really  _ wants to kiss. 

Sighing, he pours them both more wine, before taking a big gulp. He thinks the alcohol is intensifying these thoughts but he drinks more regardless. 

“Mine’s the same.” 

He forgets that she didn’t answer yet, so this shocks him. 

“You’ve always been there for me, Juggie,” she continues, eyes softening as she glances at him. “I’m most grateful that you stuck by me this whole time, even when I maybe didn’t deserve it.” 

“Hey, you always deserve it.” 

He feels so much love and affection for her and he’s struggling to contain it. Part of him thinks that maybe it’s just the stupid experiment working, but the reasonable side of his brain knows he felt this long before. 

“Thank you,” she says, voice raw and full of emotion. “Anyway, on with the questions. If you could change anything about the way you were raised, what would it be?”

“That’s easy. Not have lived on the Southside.” He runs his fingers through his hair in an attempt to compose himself, beanie long forgotten. 

“I wish you would’ve lived nearer me. We lost so much time while you were at Southside high.” She gives him a sad smile. “For me, it’d be my parents.”

“We made it through the other side, though,” he offers with a small smile.

“We certainly did,” she agrees. “Uh, onto the second set. You want to read?”

He nods, taking her phone. They both finish their glasses, so Betty pours them another, finishing the bottle. He watches as she gets up to put the bottle on the counter and collect another from the fridge. Even at such simple tasks, he can’t help but be captivated by her. He sighs to himself, willing to get himself together. When she returns, she sits even closer to him than before.

“Right,” Jughead begins. ”Is there something that you’ve dreamed of doing for a long time? Why haven’t you done it?”

“Lots of things, actually. Most of the time, I’m just too scared. There’s too much at risk.” She doesn’t elaborate any further and Jughead doesn’t ask.

Instead, he starts to think about Betty, who also seems to be lost in thought. He wonders to himself  _ why _ he hasn’t ever tried to take their relationship any further. As much as he tries to deny it, he knows that he  wants to. But something is stopping him. Fear, possibly.

Perhaps it’s stupid, but in the moment, he decides to answer honestly.  _ Maybe she’ll catch on_, he thinks.

“There’s one thing,” he stuttered. “But I know it could potentially make or break my whole life, so I’ve never done it. I’ve wanted it for so long, it’s a wonder that no one has ever found out.”

She looks at him and for a moment, he thinks she’s worked it out, but then she’s offering him a sympathetic smile.

_ Maybe not, then. _

“Anyway,” he nervously laughs. “What is the greatest accomplishment of your life? Mine’s getting out of our shitty hometown. At 16, I never would have thought that’d happen.”

“I know that feeling. Mine is moving to New York with you,” Betty admits. He smiles bashfully as that.

“And not following in the footsteps of my father and grandfather has got to be another one. I’ll drink to that!”

“Funny, Jug,” she says sarcastically, smirk threatening to ruin her straight face. They both drink regardless, meaning not lost on either of them. 

“What is your most treasured memory?” he reads as the next question.

Betty looks away from him and stares off into the distance. He assumes she’s trying to think of an answer so he allows himself to get lost in thought about  his most treasured memory for a moment. 

_ Jughead, Betty and Archie were 5 years old. They had been friends for a few weeks now, and ever since they met, they’ve been inseparable. This day though, Archie was off sick, so Betty and Jughead were left to play without him. It was the first one on one time they’d had, and, as much as Jughead liked Archie, him and Betty got on better. They played in the sandbox and made up games with her favourite toys. She shared food with him and he took the blame when a teacher tried to tell her off. They laughed together and he thinks that was the first moment he felt truly happy. Everything in his life was  good . His mom was pregnant with his baby sister, his dad was present in his life. But shortly after, his life started falling apart without him knowing. Besides, he was too young to know any different. _

Out of nowhere, he realises that she’s always been there for him no matter what. Even when her mom attempted to stop them from being friends, she fought to still see him. Even when he was sent to Southside high, she fought for him to stay. Even now they’re in New York together, she fights for him everyday. He feels stupid for not noticing this until now.

“Jug? You okay?” The sounds of Betty’s voice brings him back to the present. 

“Uh, yeah, sorry,” he shrugs. “What were you saying?”

  
  
”Just that my favourite memory is the day we moved here. We were so scared leading up to it, but as soon as we got here, it felt like home.”

She smiles to herself, but he’s too caught up in the memory and her words to notice.

_ Felt like home. Home. Home is with him. _

“I love that memory,” he says softly. “My favourite is from our sandbox days. The first day Archie had off sick and it was just you and me. We played that game with your cars. That was before everything went to shit. But I realised something, Betty. You’ve always stuck by me. You’ve always fought for me.” 

“Of course I have, Jug. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”

Now Jughead is the one to feel like crying. He doesn’t deserve to be her friend, let alone anything more.

“The feeling is mutual.”

She pulls him into a big hug. It’s kind of awkward because of how they’re sitting but to Jughead, it’s perfect. It doesn’t last long enough, though, and he finds himself immensely disappointed when she moves away. She smiles at him and he clears his throat to continue on with the questions. 

“If you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living?” 

“I’d like to live for the moment more,” she sighs. “I feel like I only focus on work and as much as I enjoy it, I know it shouldn’t rule my life as much as I let it.”

“Hey, you went out tonight!” 

“Yeah, on a disastrous date. It hardly counts.” She rolls her eyes and picks up her wine glass once more. “What about you?”

“I think I’d finally have the motivation I need to do what I want. You know, finish my novel, travel, and maybe even get round to doing that thing I’ve put off all this time.” 

He tries to sound casual, but in reality, nerves are eating away at him. He fights back the urge to drink more to soothe them - he knows he can’t go down that path - but he’s terrified Betty is finally going to figure out what he means. 

Of course she doesn’t. (He’s not sure if he’s pleased or disappointed.) 

What she says does surprise him, though. 

“We should just go. Pack a bag, get on a plane and travel the world. I love New York, but there’s so much more out there for us.”

_ We. Us.  _

Jughead’s head spins. She makes him feel so much more than anyone else and he’s fighting against everything not to show her in that moment. 

Instead, he takes a deep breath and whispers a small truth to her, “I’d love that. You and me, the way it’s always been.” 

“The way it’s meant to be, Juggie,” she whispers back. 

The sentiment hits him like a ton of bricks. So much so that he doesn’t respond for long enough for her to notice. He’s staring at her when she waves her hand near his face. He blinks suddenly and makes a split decision not to mention it. A decision he regrets shortly afterwards. 

“Uh, next one. What does friendship mean to you? That’s a heavy one.” He laughs nervously. 

“Friendship means... everything to me. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for my friends. All of them, but especially you, Jug.” 

She smiles at him, placing a hand on his leg. She’s looking at him and he’s sure it’s with the same love and admiration that he’s looking at her. 

“I’m so glad you’re still here, Betty,” he says sincerely. “I’m so glad we’re here together.”

Jughead can feel the tension between them and he’s certain Betty can too. Neither of them attempt to make a move though, so he takes the cowards way out and continues on with answering the question.

“To me, friendship is this. You and me. Talking, telling each other everything, being real. Friends over family.” 

“My friends are my family;  _ you _ are my family.” 

_ God, she is so amazing.  _

“You are my family too, Betts.” 

She gives him a teary grin. “Onwards, Juggie.”

“Okay. Alternate sharing something you consider a positive characteristic of your partner. Share a total of five items. You start.” 

“You’re loyal,” she states simply.

“Caring.”

“Kind.”

“Surprisingly optimistic.” 

She raises her eyebrow. “Surprisingly?”

“Yeah. I mean, after everything that’s happened,” he says with a shrug. 

“You’re right, I guess. Someone needs to balance out your pessimism,” she giggles. “You’re very protective. It’s admirable really.”

“Only for you, Betty Cooper. You’re loving, with everyone and anything you do.”

“You’re creatively intelligent when it comes to your writing. And you’re very persistent too.”

“That’s your five up. I’ve got two left.” He thinks for a moment. “Despite everything, you’re so determined and forgiving. You’re basically everything I’m not.”

He tried to laugh it off but it falls flat. 

“Juggie, don’t put yourself down like that. You are so amazing and I’m so damn lucky to have you.”

“See, Betty, you’re just proving my point here,” he says. “Anyway, that’s the end of set 2. You read the next lot?”

She nods in reply and excuses herself to the bathroom.

While she’s gone, Jughead takes a moment to think about what they’re doing. He isn’t entirely sure, but he knows that he’s playing with fire with some of his answers, but he can’t seem to find it in himself to stop. Part of him is still hoping that Betty may figure it out. There is a third set of questions, after all. 

He decides another glass of wine is the way forward, but sensibly tells himself that it’s his last. 

When Betty returns just a few minutes later, she sits further away from Jughead than previously. He feels a pang of disappointment but quickly chooses to ignore it.

“Wow, since when was it 1am?” she asks.

“I know. Better get on with that last set before we fall asleep.” 

“I’m on it.” She salutes at him jokingly. “Your house, containing everything you own, catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash to save any one item. What would it be? Why?”

“Easy. My laptop. It has my novel on.” 

“I’d get my box of photo albums. It has photos of us growing up, going through high school and college. Lots of them aren’t backed up, but my laptop is.” 

She looks sad at the thought of that.

“I’d like to look through that one day, if you didn’t mind?” he asks tentatively.

“Of course,” she replies with a smile. “We can do it together.”

A moment of silence pass. It’s like both of them are stuck inside their own heads, neither knowing what to say or do.

Eventually, Betty remembers the questions. 

“Ah, sorry. Next question: When did you last cry in front of another person? By yourself?”

“Uh, in front of someone, years ago,” he admits, clearing his throat. “On my own, earlier this evening.”

Concern covers Betty’s face. “Juggie, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, don’t worry about me. It’s just, you know, general life shit.”

“You know you can talk to me, right?”

“Of course, Betty. But it’s nothing I promise.” 

_ Yes it is. Just tell her.  _

He shakes these thoughts away and continues talking, “Your answer is easy. You cried earlier today.”

“I cry too easily,” she huffs, but he doesn’t reply. “Next: tell your partner what you like about them; be very honest.” 

_So much._ He likes so much about her. Where does he even start? 

He starts simple. 

“I like that you’re wearing my hoodie right now.”

She looks down at what she’s wearing as if she’d forgotten. Her hand reaches up to touch the front of the hoodie. Of course it’s met with the slightly rough, navy blue material of his old high school hoodie.

Looking up, Betty’s eyes meet Jughead’s. She is smiling sheepishly and his heart is  _ bursting _ . 

“It looks really good on you, Betty,” he confesses. “Way better on you than it ever did on me.”

She pulls the hood up to hide her face slightly before mumbling something incoherent. 

“What was that?” He pokes her in the cheek. 

“I like your full name,” she admits, face blushing. 

“My full name? Really? Why?”

“No comment.” 

“You can’t get out of it that easily!”

“Yes I can.”

It’s like something clicks in that moment. Something changes between this, but it’s good this time. Jughead knows what she wants to say, how she’s feeling, and Betty knows that he’s feeling the same. 

All the doubts from his mind have gone. He  knows that she feels the same. He just needs to pluck up the courage to finally kiss her. 

He doesn’t get the chance to overthink it as she’s continuing on with the final few questions.

He’s not mad, though, as they finally give him an opportunity to test the waters with his answers.

“Share a personal problem and ask your partner’s advice on how he or she might handle it,” she says as if nothing’s happened. 

“My problem is that this experiment has been done in unfair circumstances. And I think we both know it.”

“There’s no turning back now, is there?” She tilts her head to the side, watching as he visibly swallows. “I think you know what my problem is, but you aren’t doing anything about it, so onwards we go. If you were to die this evening with no opportunity to communicate with anyone, what would you most regret not having told someone? Why haven’t you told them yet?”

“I think you know the answer to that, Betty.“ 

“And I think you might know my answer now too.” 

She’s staring in his eyes, like she’s mesmerised by him. He feels himself lean in slightly as he whispers her name. He can almost see her contemplate her next move. 

When she moves away, he’s immensely disappointed. 

She shakes her head. “C’mon. One last question. Then it gets serious in the last part.”

“The last part? What?” He didn’t know of a fourth part when he agreed to this.

“You’ll find out after this,” she teases. “Make three true ‘we’ statements each. We’ll take it in turns. You start.”

“We both miss our families right now, as much as we both hate them for what they did to us.”

“Yeah, I’d agree with that,” she says sadly, looking down. “We are both slightly drunk right now.”

Jughead picks up his glass and downs the rest. “You’re right, but that’s it for me.”

She laughs, finishing her glass too.

“I think,” he begins cautiously. “That we both know I was jealous of your date tonight. And any other dates you’ve been on recently.” 

“I certainly had a suspicion,” she replies with a smirk. “Is that why you were upset?”

“Perhaps.”

“Interesting, Jug, very interesting.”

He blushes and looks away.

“We both know that we shouldn’t be doing thing, right?” she asks, teasing tone gone, replaced by nerves. 

“Probably not, Betty.”

Jughead sighs, placing his hand on hers, which is resting on her leg. It’s meant to be a comforting gesture, but it seems to signify something more between the two of them. 

“Maybe not,” she says in a small voice, full of emotion. “But I also think that we both know we didn’t need to do this experiment to feel something.” 

He smiles. A real smile. 

“And I also happen to think that we both want each other in a way that friends shouldn’t,” he states. 

Betty nods and flips her hand over, threading her fingers through his. With the other hand, she unlocks her phone and shows him the screen. 

It reads,  _ After completing the three sets of questions, look into each others’ eyes for 4 minutes.  _

He swallows thickly. “Are we doing this?”

She wordlessly sets up the timer on her phone. As she presses ‘start’, she gives him a small reassuring smile and squeezes his hand slightly, placing her phone to the side. 

Her intense gaze makes Jughead feel more intoxicated than ever. All he can focus on is her. Her hand gripping his. Her eyes staring into his. The soft sound of her breathing. He is overwhelmed with everything that is Betty. 

Suddenly something inside him snaps and he can’t take it anymore. 

“Betty...” he whispers. He brings his free hand up to cup her face, never breaking eye contact. 

In a whirlwind of emotions, Betty is nodding her permission and Jughead is finally leaning in to kiss her.

She responds immediately, her lips soft against his. 

It’s everything he could have ever imagined. All the tension from the room and past few hours has gone and it’s just them. 

They sit holding hands and kissing for what seems like forever. 

In reality, it’s the 2 minutes 18 seconds left of the 4 minute timer meant to be spent looking in each others’ eyes. 

Instead, they spend over half of it exploring each others’ lips.

As the timer goes off, Jughead is reluctant to pull away. Betty moves first and instantly, he is filled with concern. He worries that this will have been a one off, caused by the tension of the experiment and the lack of pressure that the early hours of the morning present. Now he’s kissed her once, he never wants to stop. As much as he can’t lose her as a friend, he knows how difficult it would be to not have more now he knows whatit could be like. 

In an attempt to calm his fears, he tries to focus on their still-intertwined hands. He stares at them, avoiding Betty’s eyes at all cost. 

“Juggie,” she whispers softly. “Are you okay?”

He doesn’t know how to answer that. On one hand, he’s amazing. He just kissed the girl he thinks he’s been in love with for years, even though he’s been too afraid to admit it. But on the other hand, he’s really not okay. He’s filled with doubt and isn’t sure if she feels the same. He could have managed to mess up their whole friendship, or even lost her for good. 

This evening, and the experiment, had been about honesty, so that’s what he goes for. 

“I don’t know, Betty. I thought I was but I don’t know what this means,” he says, lifting their hands up. “I can’t lose you but I’m not sure I can go on pretending that I don’t love you like this anymore.”

Not exactly the way he wanted to tell her but at least it’s out in the open now, he thinks.

A few moments of silence pass. He risks a glance up and Betty’s smiling at him with teary eyes. 

When she sees him look up, she speaks quietly. 

“I don’t want to pretend anymore either.” 

The smile he gives her mirrors the one already on her face.

This time when he leans in, she meets him halfway and there is no doubt left in his mind that they love each other unconditionally. 

Their hands stay laced together as they kiss once more. It’s one filled with love, hope and promise. 

Love for each other.

Hope for them both.

And promise of a future. 

Together. The way it’s meant to be.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! i hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i did writing it.


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